Penthouse
by violet921
Summary: Nat Wolff, a 25 year old with superstar potential and a boring office job, finds himself in a gentleman's club alongside his best friend, David. While there, he eyes a beautiful young lady and gives her a lift home, catching a glimpse into her life, eventually finding himself caught in the middle of it.
1. Chapter 1

This story is going to be a lot different than most, and it will be a little more mature and have a little more mature themes, but nothing too intense. Enjoy!

**The Penthouse**

**Chapter 1**

"Yeah baby, come on over here and give my buddy a dance!" My best friend David hollered at a nearby blonde with big curls and long eyelashes, scantily clad in pieces of fabric covering her chest and a short miniskirt. She teetered over to us in high heels glittering with glued-on rhinestones as we sat at a table near the bar, David not once taking his eyes off of her. I could not believe I let him talk me into coming to a strip club, especially when I had a big presentation for my boss due Monday that I had yet to start on. The bombshell walked over to me, introduced herself as Alaina, and proceeded to sit in my lap. I glared at David and he shot me a smug look before tossing back another gulp of beer. While she danced seductively, trying to seduce her way into my wallet, all I could think about was the presentation. "Even if I start as soon as I get back home, I would be too tired to make a decent powerpoint.", I thought to myself. I sighed and Alaina quickly stood up, huffing, and marched back behind a heavy-looking metal door. I stood up and mumbled something to David about needing to pee, and made my way through the club trying to find the men's room.  
While I washed my hands, I couldn't stop cursing myself for waiting last minute to start my powerpoint. I trudged out of the washroom and made my way to David, shouting to him over the music that I needed to get home, and if he needed a ride. David, too busy trying to stare at a girl on stage, shoved me out of his way. I followed his line of vision and saw an angelic creature on stage. Dark brown hair, tanned skin, beautiful body, and dressed in a short black skirt and a bikini top, the angel moved her hips to the music, while simultaneously removing each article of clothing. My natural male instincts kicked in, causing my eyes to be glued on her, but at the same time, I felt almost perverse staring at her that way. She was so innocent looking, and it felt as though I was alone with her in a bedroom rather than in a seedy strip club in the lower part of Brooklyn, with 40 other men watching her strip down to her birthday suit. After her dance, she grabbed her clothing and all the money that was thrown at her, and made her way off stage. I pulled David up out of his seat and propped him against the wall. Poor guy, he was piss-drunk and had to work tomorrow. The morning would be rough for him. Just as I was about to help him out of the club, angel made her way onto the floor, this time wearing a coat and jeans, also trading her heels for tennis shoes. My eyes continued to follow her stride, and she smiled and walked over to me.  
"Hi sweetheart, I saw you looking at me. What's your name?" She asked sweetly.  
I mustered up all my energy and trying to sound as confident as possible, I replied, "Nat, and yours?"  
"I'm Kristina, and I was wondering if I could have a ride home?"

After dropping David off at his apartment, making sure he drank plenty of water and tucking him into bed, I practically ran back to the car, where Kristina was waiting inside.  
"Where to?" I questioned in my best fake English accent.  
She giggled, making my heart sink, and gave me her address which barely registered in my mind. Taking the longer route, I was trying my best to make interesting conversation with her, but she was getting anxious and was pressing me for information on how far away we were. I could see that she was shaking a bit, causing me to be curious as to what was waiting for her at home.  
I pulled up into the apartment complex parking lot, and could see the silhouette of a small girl holding something sitting on the steps. As I stepped out and opened the door for Kristina, she ran to the girl and grabbed what now looked to be a baby out of her arms. Suddenly, the door behind them swung open, and a big burly man appeared, outlined by the dim light of the apartment.  
"Kris, is that you? Get your- just get in here now!", his big voice boomed.  
Holding the baby tighter to her chest, Kristina turned to look at me and smiled sheepishly. "Thank you for the ride, Nat. Could you walk Rosie to her apartment? I don't want her walking at night and it's just down the street." The smaller girl next to her began to protest, but Kristina's motherly look caused her to agree. Kristina shuffled into the apartment, shooting me a look before shutting the door.  
I turned my attention toward the girl and smiled as friendly as I could. "What was your name? I'm sorry, I didn't catch it." "Rosalina.", she replied, quietly, and turned on her heels and began walking in the direction of her apartment. I sped up and ended up alongside her. "So Rosalina, are you and Kristina friends?" She nodded, and never once looked at me. I questioned about the man and the baby, and she informed me that the beast that opened the door was Kristina's boyfriend, (crushing my hopes of ever taking her out), and her newborn baby girl. "Are you babysitting for her? How come her boyfriend doesn't do that? It's his baby, isn't it?" I asked, with growing curiosity. She nodded again and mumbled, "Thomas always gets drunk and falls asleep and I usually bring baby Hannah to my apartment to watch her, but I walk back down there when Kristina's shift is done and wait for her."  
Her answer didn't satisfy me, but I let it go and we walked in a silence until we reached her apartment. She thanked me for walking with her and hurriedly went inside.  
I walked back to my car, unable to think of anything else but the lives of the two ladies that I had encountered. Kristina, so beautiful and perfect, stuck with a neglectful drunk of a boyfriend and a newborn to take care of, and Rosalina, so quiet, with a mysterious air about her. Laying in bed later that night, I couldn't take my mind off of the girls. I had only briefly spoken to both of them, but they were running throughout my mind the entire night.  
Eventually, unable to fall asleep, I brewed myself a pot of coffee and sat at my desk and began to work on my presentation.

I hope you guys are interested in this story and I hope you're not too harsh on me! Feedback would be greatly appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Happy New Year! Thank you all so much for reviewing and enjoying my story! I will try to update every 3-4 days if possible. I'm so glad you all seemed to enjoy it and your feedback is greatly appreciated.

**The Penthouse**

**Chapter 2**

I was greeted nonchalantly by the bouncer as I walked into The Penthouse, the gentleman's club I had found myself in only a week prior. Quickly giving the room a once-over, I searched for the beautiful Kristina I had come into contact with the last time I had been in, but to no avail. I sighed audibly and found a seat toward the back corner of the room and was given a drink by a beautiful lady with fire engine red hair. I smiled politely and downed my beer, feeling somewhat more comfortable this time around.  
Soon after, I had found myself drinking my eighth beer, leaning up against the railing along the main stage, throwing 1$ bills at the woman on stage with very large feet and an Adam's apple. The liquid courage started to get to me after the 6th beer, but still I didn't quit. I teetered into the back room behind the large metal door, greeted by half-naked women screaming and covering themselves. I drunkenly mumbled, "Where's Kristina?" while the other girls were throwing makeup brushes and high heels at me. Suddenly, I saw her. She came out from the bathroom and screamed when she saw me. "Nat!", she exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing here? Get out!" I half-ran/half-stumbled over to her and planted a drunken kiss right on her lips. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her into me and continued to kiss her, regardless of her muffled protests. When I felt her hands on my chest, pushing me away from her with all the might her tiny body could muster, I pulled away. She wiped her mouth and shriveled her nose and slapped me hard. The girls around us were frozen with shock. "Nat, you better get out of here. Bouncer!"  
After being escorted (thrown) out of the club, I was left on the curb drunk and feeling miserable. I called David and practically begged him for a ride home, which he was not too happy considering it was 4 am. When I saw his car pull up in front of me, I stood up from the curb and stumbled in. "Hey man, thanks for doing thi-" I started, but he smacked the back of my head before I could finish. "Ow!", I screamed, rubbing the back of my head, "What was that for?" "For being a drunken idiot." He shook his head and pulled out of the club parking lot as I dozed off in the passenger seat.  
Around 8 AM, I heard a loud, frantic, banging on my front door. I yanked the covers off of my body and stood up, suddenly taking notice of the pounding headache I had as a direct result of the amount of alcohol I had consumed only hours earlier. As the banging continued, I shouted, "I'm coming, hang on!"  
I hadn't even made it to my bedroom door before I heard a loud crashing sound, feeling the whole house vibrate. I swung open the door and ran downstairs, greeted with the sight of my apartment door on the floor, torn completely off it's hinges, and the big, burly man I had known to be Thomas, Kristina's boyfriend. My eyes damn near popped out of my head as I looked upon this giant man, glaring at me and huffing, almost like a bull about to ram it's horns into it's prey. "I heard that you kissed my lady, is that true?" He asked, surprisingly calmly. Sheepishly, I nodded. "But let me explain, sir. I only kissed her beca-" He approached me and punched me square in the face, causing me to black out.  
I woke up after what seemed like days, to find Thomas leaning against my kitchen counter, drinking a beer, looking at me. "Are you going to actually take the beating you deserve or bitch out and pass out again?" He questioned, smugly. "Listen just one minute!" I retorted, struggling to gain back my equilibrium and stand up. "You have absolutely no right to come into MY home and hit m-" Before I could finish my rant, he knocked me back on my ass. "No, YOU listen just one minute." He bent down and brought his face in front of mine, frighteningly intimidating me. "If Kristina tells me that she so much as saw you look in her direction, I will rip your eyes out of your skull. Are we understood?" He straightened himself up, put his beer on the counter, and began to walk out before turning back to me. "And if I were you, I would get a gym membership and try to bulk up. You went down like a bitch."  
And with that, he was gone.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There will be more to come if you all are interested. Hope you are all having a great New Year's Day, and I wish for you all a year full of happiness and health!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello all! Sorry for the long wait, I'd been meaning to get around to updating but I had been quite busy. I hope you all are continuing to enjoy my story and if there is any constructive criticism you could give, that would be really great. I'm always looking to better myself! Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 3!

**The Penthouse**

**Chapter 3**

I couldn't believe that I was here, standing in front of Kristina's apartment. How I managed to grow a pair and get the courage to come and apologize was beyond me, but here I am. I took a deep breath and said a silent prayer before knocking on the door. I heard footsteps inside, along with a feminine voice, "Coming!" before the door swung open.  
Just as quickly as Kristina had opened the door, after catching sight of me, she'd shut it. I knocked again, hoping she would forgive me for my behavior and lack of respect toward her.  
"Kristina, please. I came to apologize to you and to Thomas. Please open the door."  
The door opened again, and I was once again greeted with the sight of Kristina, now with Thomas at her side.  
"You have exactly 60 seconds to say what you need to say." He grumbled, with that intimidating demeanor that I had grown accustomed to.  
"I just wanted to apologize to both of you for being completely and utterly idiotic and disrespectful with my actions. Kristina, I'm sorry for kissing you, it was completely out of line. However, I hope you understand that I drank like a fish that night." I turned my attention to Thomas, "And I'm sorry for kissing your girl, I meant no harm by it and I hope that you two can forgive me."  
I sighed and averted my eyes away from them and on my shoes, feeling their eyes still watching me. Suddenly, I felt Kristina's arms wrap around me, hugging me tightly. "Aw, it's okay Nat! We forgive you, don't we honey?" She pulled away from me and shot Thomas a look, causing him to sigh and roll his eyes. "I guess so.", he mumbled. I stuck out my hand for him to shake and he looked at it for a few seconds before reluctantly accepting my handshake. "Now that everything is settled, I'm just going to head back home. Have a nice day, you two." I turned around and began the short walk to my car before I heard Kristina call my name. I stopped walking and turned back to her and watched her skip down the steps and walk to me.  
"I know this might be too much to ask, but could you take Rosalina and I to the mall; since I assume you'll be passing by it? It's going to rain soon and I don't want to get soaked." She gave a hopeful smile and I shot a glance at Thomas, who nodded his approval, before accepting.  
"Okay, do you remember where her apartment is? Just up here down the road." She directed, nodding her head in the direction of Rosalina's apartment. I started the car as she buckled her seatbelt and made the short drive down the street. Kristina rolled down the window and shouted, "Rosie! We got a ride!"  
Rosalina's head popped out of an open window on the second floor of the apartment complex and she smiled and disappeared again before exiting through the front door. She practically skipped into my car, behaving in a way that was polar opposite of how she had acted when I had met her. She acted so shy and introverted, but just by watching her walk to my car with a smile on her face, I could tell she was different. She hopped in and shut the door before buckling her seatbelt and catching my eye in the rearview mirror. I smiled at her and she turned her attention to Kristina. "Hey girlie!" She giggled, "I'm so excited, we are going to get so much new stuff!" Kristina laughed and turned around in her seat to face her as I pulled onto the intersection. "I know, but first, we have to eat something. I'm starving!" Kristina exclaimed, laughing.  
After a 10 minute drive listening to two bubbly girls gossip about the latest celebrity drama, we arrived at the mall. I stopped in front of the entrance and smiled at Kristina, "We have arrived in one piece!", I joked. She smiled at me and thanked me before climbing out of the car.  
"Hey Nat," she started, bending down to the window, "do you want to come in and eat some lunch with us? As a thank you for the ride?" How could I turn down food?  
As we sat in a booth in a small restaurant, I couldn't help but admire Rosalina. This is the first time I've gotten a good look at her, and she's not bad if I do say so myself. She's a solid 8 on a scale of 1-10. The waitress brought Rosalina the strawberry milkshake she ordered and Rosalina thanked her politely. Kristina's phone began ringing and she sighed, "Thomas again. He seriously is clueless about warming up baby bottles. I'll be right back, excuse me." She quickly slid out of the booth, leaving Rosalina and I sitting in silence.  
"So," she started, picking up the cherry that was sitting on top of her milkshake on a pile of whipped cream. "Do you have a job?" I nodded, watching the cherry in her hand, drenched in whipped cream, anticipating her movements. "Where do you work?" she questioned with a slight smirk as if she could read my mind. "I um, work in one of the office buildings downtown." I cleared my throat and took a sip of my soda, suddenly overcome with a dry throat. She gave a smirk again and looked at me under her long eyelashes before slowly putting the cherry in her mouth.  
I swear she was doing this on purpose. She held the cherry by it's stem and slowly pulled it out of her mouth, sucking the whipped cream off. I watched with wide eyes as she licked her lips and scooped some whipped cream up with her finger before bringing it to her mouth. "I just love whipped cream." She smirked and some of the whipped cream fell on her chest just above her cleavage. She giggled sultrily and wiped it with her finger and licked it clean off.  
Kristina made her way back to the booth, clearly aggravated. "Men, I swear. They're seriously stupid when it comes to babies. How hard is it to warm up a baby bottle? Run it under hot water! Moron tried putting it in the microwave." She rolled her eyes and Rosalina laughed before engaging her in conversation about caring for a child. How she could transform from this sexy vixen to an innocent woman, almost like a young girl, was completely beyond me.  
After we finished our meals, I payed the entire bill, with much resistance from Kristina. As we walked out of the restaurant into the mall, Kristina turned to me. "Thanks Nat, this was really fun. You know, here's my number so we can all hang out again!" She handed me a piece of paper with a phone number on it and smiled and waved, before grabbing Rosalina's hand and walking away. As I was walking out, I turned back to see Rosalina looking back at me smiling and giving a wave. I smiled shyly, suddenly feeling like I was in high school again, when the girl from my chemistry class that I'd liked since 2nd grade smiled at me. I made my way to the parking lot, searching for my car. I turned the key and my car sputtered to life, but I didn't move. I sat in the parking lot of the mall and tried to collect my thoughts.  
Why in the world was Rosalina acting this way? Why did she act so shy and mysterious the first night we met, and now acts like a tease? Was she trying to seduce me? Is she playing a game with me?  
So many thoughts running through my mind, I couldn't keep my head straight. Why I was feeling this way about her made no sense to me. I barely know her, but for some reason, I felt such an attraction to her. She was so mysterious and different from other girls, and all I desired was to get to know her and unravel the mystery that is Rosalina.

That following Monday, I was sitting in the dingy, small "cafeteria" at work on my lunch break. My colleague and friend, Cooper, walked in and gave me a smug look. I finished swallowing the bite of pasta and half-heartedly asked, "What's up, Coop?"  
"When were you going to tell me you were dating a hot chick?" He whisper-yelled, as though someone was listening. Beyond confused, I gave him a look and cocked my head to the side as if to say, "What the hell are you talking about?" He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Dude, there's an insanely hot girl here to see you, she says she wants to talk to you and she's waiting in your cubicle." Leaving my disgusting cafeteria lunch, I stood up and made my way to my tiny 4x4 cubicle, curious as to who was here to see me.  
The first thing I saw was legs. Gorgeous, long, tan legs. Rosalina was sitting on my desk with her legs crossed, wearing a skirt that allowed me to see as far up as I wanted to. "R-Rosalina," I stuttered, "What are you doing here?"  
She gave a smile and stood up, before looking around my cubicle. "I was in the area and remembered you said you worked here. I got bored and wanted to see you, is that a crime?" She turned her eyes to me again and smirked, before picking up a picture I had on my desk of my cousin Jesse's 2 year old daughter, Grace. She looked at me, holding the picture. "Is this your daughter?" She asked, eyes gleaming. "No, that's my niece, Grace. She'll be three next month. I don't actually have children." I said, surprised that I was sharing all this with her, surprised at her curiosity on the subject.  
She hummed quietly and put the picture back in it's place. "So, let's not beat around the bush any longer." She laughed and made eye contact with me, and the tension between us was so thick you could cut it with a knife.  
"I came here to ask if you wanted to go on a date with me."

Hope you all enjoyed! Your comments are greatly appreciated! Hope you're all having a new year so far! :)


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